Why can’t classrooms be playful?

“In this podcast, Ijeoma Njaka explores the power and possibilities of creative and playful learning spaces with three academics who have taken an unconventional approach to their classrooms In a passage from Imagination: A Manifesto , Ruha Benjamin surfaces an assumption about academia while discussing radical imagination and Robin DG Kelley’s Freedom Dreams. She writes, “for me, there is no way to read Kelley and remain mired in a ‘culture of cynicism’ or retain the solemn and detached posture of a supposedly ‘serious’ academic. The stakes are too high, and the stubborn hopefulness of those struggling to recreate this gloomy world too contagious to resign myself to dour pessimism.” Gloomy and dour is, unfortunately, a fair description of many university learning spaces. But what if there was another way? In this podcast, Julia Watts Belser (Georgetown University), Lars Strannegård (Stockholm School of Economics) and Matthew Pavesich (Johns Hopkins University) discuss how they have done things differently, from arts-based and outdoor classrooms to holding writing classes on a basketball court. They also discuss the impact of these methods on student engagement, strategies for overcoming student risk aversion in high-achieving environments, and the profound value and joy that makes the investment in these unconventional approaches worthwhile. Listen to the podcast Read the transcript Podcast panellists Julia Watts Belser, Professor of Jewish Studies and Disability Studies, Georgetown University, US “Life is too short to teach boring classes” Lars Strannegård, President, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden “We use art as an intellectual and emotional itching powder” Matthew Pavesich, Director of the University Writing Programme, Johns Hopkins University, US “I think of myself as designing kitchens, not training chefs” Show notes Explore the Stockholm School of Economics’ art classrooms Outdoor and place-based teaching at the Baker Family Terrace at Georgetown University Main image: Logan Wang This post is opinion-based and does not reflect the views of the London School of Economics and Political Science or any of its constituent departments and divisions. The post Why can’t classrooms be playful? first appeared on LSE Higher Education .

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